When Anna Vogelzang learned the assistant principal position at her child’s Evanston-Skokie District 65 elementary school was being eliminated, it wasn’t through an official school announcement, but a Reddit post.
Vogelzang described Stacey Ernvall, Willard Elementary’s second in command, as a “unicorn educator,” someone who created an “unbelievable” impact in the single year she’s held the position.
“[Ernvall] started filling in the gaps that we didn’t even realize had been gaps,” Vogelzang said.
So she decided to compose a letter addressing the Board on behalf of Willard Elementary parents in opposition to Ernvall’s “honorable dismissal,” which in the week since it was drafted has garnered over 150 signatures from families at the school.
“We’ve been told the change is based on the ‘standardized district staffing structures,'” Vogelzang wrote. “We are curious: what exactly is the structure, and if it is based on population, what is the enrollment qualification for an AP position?”
With enrollment likely to grow as a result of the closure of two district schools at the end of the calendar year (Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies and Kingsley Elementary), Vogelzang urged the Board to reconsider.
“Eliminating this position now only to rebuild it next year would be a costly and disruptive mistake,” she wrote.
“It’s truly meant to be a two-person job,” Vogelzang later told the Pioneer Press. “There are things that the principal [Khloe Battle] will not have the capacity to deal with that the assistant principal can take up,” she said.
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Ernvall is one five Evanston-Skokie District 65 administrators to be “honorably dismissed” for the upcoming school year, according to an announcement from Superintendent Angel Turner and records obtained by the Pioneer Press through a Freedom of Information Act request.
In her notice of non-renewal from the district dated March 23, Board President Patricia Anderson wrote to Ernvall in a two-sentence statement that the Board of Education made the decision to “reduce the number of administrator positions at Willard Elementary,” and that Ernvall was thanked for her service.
The non-renewal resolution included Lincoln Elementary Principal Amber Samuels’ dismissal by the district, in addition to principal and assistant principal of Kingsley Elementary, David Davis and Tiffany Chapman, and Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies Assistant Principal Sarah Antrim-Cambium.
Bessie Rhodes and Kingsley are set to shutter at the end of the 2025-26 school year, as part of the district’s effort to achieve financial sustainability amid a $10-15 million budget deficit.
But even still, Superintendent Turner denied Ernvall’s departure was a result of financial concerns.
In her letter to the Willard community on Wednesday, Turner wrote that the decision was made to align with “the school-based staffing model that went into effect last year and is being applied across all district schools.”
This change, Turner said, “is in no way a reflection of Ms. Ernvall’s performance.”
Vogelzang wrote to Turner prior to Monday’s (April 13) District 65 Board meeting to notify her of the letter, in the hopes that the district could provide more explanation around the standardized staffing structure and how it is applied, but Turner provided her with a similar statement.
“This [school-based staffing] model is applied consistently across all district schools and is based on the State of Illinois Evidence-Based Funding Model, which looks at school population and specific student needs,” she wrote to Vogelzang.
Vogelzang wrote back to Turner to inquire about the threshold of enrollment needed in order for Willard to qualify for an assistant principal position, but did not receive a response.
Willard Elementary currently has 327 students, according to the most recent data collected by the district for the 2025-26 school year.
“I have a deep love for the students at Willard and the community I have had the pleasure of serving this year,” Ernvall told the Pioneer Press in an email in regards to her termination.
“I’m truly grateful for the opportunity, and while I wish things could have unfolded differently, I’m leaving while wishing this community all the best in what comes next.”
District 65 did not immediately return a Pioneer Press request for comment on its decision to eliminate Ernvall’s position.
Willard parents have been forced to grapple with a number of administrative changes in recent months, most notably late last year when the district decided to terminate the school’s Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Celia Carlino, a Two-Way Immersion parent and co-president of Willard’s PTA, said that families have been hit hard by this decision and that it’s been “very painful” for the entire community.
“Many white and Hispanic families have chosen to live in the Willard school area due to the long-standing, excellent reputation of the Willard TWI program,” Carlino told the Pioneer Press.
“In my daughter’s case, her class was only one year away from completing the program at Willard…many families feel that the process has lacked transparency and respect. Major decisions have been made without open dialogue or clear communication, which has created uncertainty and mistrust within the community,” she said.
But a “diverse school community offers opportunities for learning and personal growth,” regardless of the challenges it may also bring, Carlino added.
As an active parent in the community who has worked hard to support Hispanic heritage by enabling families to participate as ambassadors of their home countries during school-sponsored events, Carlino said the fight to dissolve the program is far from over.
“The TWI community remains united,” she added.
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